First tour to the Land of Smiles

Athapattu BANDARA

Traveling is a great source of knowledge and while doing so one meets different people of all sorts and visits various places.

Recently, Cathay Pacific Airlines and the Thai Tourism Authority (TAT) took a group of media personnel to Thailand to experience the amazing country and share the uniqueness of the country enriched with Buddhism.

Shaun

Poom

The TAT had provided two tourist guides - Poom and Shaun - who picked us up together with TAT Assistant Director Suladda Sarutilavan. She took us around Thailand explaining to everyone about the history of Thailand and what it has to offer to it's tourists.

Thailand is known as the country of smiles. No matter where you go, whether it is to the doctor's office or boarding a flight, you are greeted with a bow and a warm greeting of "Sawadee-ka," (hello).

Our first sight tour was at Ayuththaya - an ancient city with a proud history of wars and heroic people. The area was a Buddhist regime and the ruins still depict the ancient beauty of the city.

The battle with its neighbouring country Burma had left many religious constructions deteriorated.

Thai Food

Thai food is one of the best in the world. We were amazed with the dishes provided and he main ingredient being the coconut in every dish.

The ever famous Tom Yom soup (coconut based soup with lemon grass, hot pepper and ginger to flavour with seafood, chicken or pork) was served during lunch and dinner. Health is part of their culture and a special treat for anyone visiting Thailand is a Thai massage. I had 90 minutes massage and it truly washed away the stress of a hectic schedule with lot of adventures and a busy life.

Bangkok

Bangkok is the first city outside my own country that I have ever visited. Now, it's the most-visited city for me. Although shopping was not really at the top of my agenda when visiting Bangkok, I couldn't help but to put it in my itinerary. The last day was totally allocated for shopping and I also went shopping without any deep desire of it. But once I got to the city, I was wishing that I had brought more cash.

For those who are after cheap commodities, from clothes to souvenir items to household stuffs and pets, you will find a wide array of products at Bangkok.

While shopping I wanted to strike a balance between a good buy and comfort, so I joined with my friends to the most popular shopping destinations among Sri Lankans MBK. It's a large mall that houses stalls and restaurants.

The products here range from shirts, souvenirs to gadgets and food.

It's interesting that many are looking towards Bangkok as a shopping destination. Make sure you hone your bargaining skills and you're ready to go.